Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS) is a non-profit organization that provides services to commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked girls and young women, typically underage youth exploited by pimps and traffickers. The organization is based in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, which is one of the most common places for trafficking and child exploitation. The work of GEMS is the subject of the 2007 documentary ''

Very Young Girls ''Very Young Girls'' is a 2007 human trafficking documentary and exposé. Airing on Showtime and directed by David Schisgall and Nina Alvarez, the show follows 13- and 14-year-old African-American girls as they are seduced, abused, and sold on ...

''. In 2007, their founder, Rachel Lloyd, wrote her autobiography, entitled ''Girls Like Us'', that presents her personal background and her efforts to establish the GEMS organization.

Organizational background

GEMS was founded by

Rachel Lloyd Rachel Elizabeth Lloyd (born 1975) is a British anti-trafficking advocate, author and the founder of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services. She is known for her work on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking ...

in 1998, who continues to serve as the organization's executive director. The organization has helped several hundred young girls transition out of the sex industry and get back to their full potential. They also participated in lobbying for passage of the ''

Safe Harbor Act for Sexually Exploited Youth A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and d ...

'', which provides that girls under the age of 16, who are arrested in New York for prostitution will be treated as victims, rather than criminals. The bill was signed into law in September 2008.

References

External links

*
''Girls Like Us'' at HarperCollins
Non-profit organizations based in New York City Child prostitution in the United States Child labour-related organizations Child abuse-related organizations 1998 establishments in New York City {{US-org-stub